Bringing you the horribly depressing and hopefully uplifting human rights headlines from around the globe ...

Sunday, April 24, 2011

24 April 2011

AFRICA:

• Ghana = Is access to the internet a Human Right? Some Ghanian activists are moving to guarantee access to the internet. Internet access does often provide greater awareness, knowledge and empowerment for its users. (JHR)

Apparently the UN “has proposed that internet access should be a universal right. And Finland, France, Greece and Estonia have already caught on, ruling that the web should be accessible to all.” What do you think?

AMERICAS:

• USA = Nicholas Kristof writes about the trafficking of American girls. (NYT)

I wish this article had been a bit longer, really addressing the issue of penalties and perpetrators (a comparison to Sweden's laws and the sharp decline in trafficking would have been good). Your thoughts?

• USA = Yay Pittsburgh! The city is the first in the USA to pass a proclamation calling for “electronic companies and other industries to take the necessary steps to remove conflict minerals from their supply chain” in support of the people of Eastern Congo. It's a baby step, for sure, but at least it's a step, yes? (ENGH)

ASIA:

• Pakistan = Apparently, sadistic violence against women is OK. When her brother was found guilty of adultery, the village council sentenced Ms. Mukhtar Mai to be gang-raped by 11 men. Mukhtar—in the face of death threats—took the men who raped her to court. That was nine years ago. This week, the Pakistani Supreme Court found only one man guilty and Ms. Mai returns to her village without justice, and facing renewed death threats from her attackers. (HRW, VV)

Update: the Pakistani government is allegedly providing Mukhtar Mai with security. (VV)

• Tibet = Despite the locals attempts to protect the monks in the Kirti monastery (see last week's post) the Chinese police succeeded in evacuating the monks, killing at least two men in the process. (GRD)

MIDDLE EAST:

• United Arab Emirates = Boo. The government this week dissolved the elected Board of Directors of the Jurist Association, one of the most prominent human rights groups in the country. (HRW)

• Yemen = The 22nd was dubbed Last Chance Friday as hundreds of thousands of protestors took to the streets. Photos and tweets available on GlobalVoices.

ALSO OF INTEREST:

• You can find a video here that exposes discrimination against people who are transsexual.